5 ways to reduce stress this Stress Awareness Month

If left unmanaged, stress can cause health problems such as anxiety, depression and heart problems. That’s why we thought we’d take this April – aka Stress Awareness Month – to discuss 5 approaches to reducing stress. 

1. Talk to a friend or family member  

Sharing your thoughts and feelings with a trusted friend, family member or professional is an excellent way to clear your mind. Sometimes getting a second opinion or hearing an outsider’s perspective on your situation or worries can help put things into perspective. This is because humans have a tendency to overthink so it can be useful to get out of your own head and talk to loved ones. 

2. Practice mindfulness 

Mindfulness is all about being present and teaching us to process our emotions as and when they arise. This can be a really useful tool for helping us unwind and slowing down our thoughts. 

There are different ways in which you can practice mindfulness, including mindful walks, mindful meditation or mindful eating. Find out more about how to fit mindfulness into your everyday routine on the Mind website. 

3. Prioritise your health 

Not only is staying active good for your physical health but getting in an hour of exercise a day can really help improve your mental well-being. Even if you’re not the biggest fitness fanatic, we promise there will be something out there that you will enjoy! Why not try out a new class with a mate or listen to your favourite podcast on a walk? Get those endorphins pumping and watch your stress levels plummet. 

Part of prioritising your health also means avoiding vices such as alcohol and smoking to distract yourself from your problems. Yes, these types of coping mechanisms will work in the short term but ultimately you’ll still have to face whatever it is on your mind. 

4. Be smart with your time

We’ve spoken about ways to deal with stress, but how about preventing it? Being savvy with your time management can help make your life a lot easier. For example, when you’re at work, make sure you do the hardest task first and leave the ad-hoc activities for the end of the day. It sounds obvious, but putting your to-do list in order of priority can do wonders for your mental health and stress levels! This also means accepting that there will always be emails to answer and errands to run – it’s about taking things one day at a time. You’re only human after all…

Organise something after work that you can look forward to as well; this will help make the day go faster and is a great incentive to finish all your work on time! This could be anything from watching your favourite TV show to going out to dinner with a friend. 

5. Accept what you can’t control

Unfortunately, there’s only so much you can control in this life, which means it’s certainly not worth getting stressed about situations you are unable to change. Instead, focus your energy on things you can control and keep working towards your goals.  

We hope you found this article useful – remember to look after yourself!

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